Hackathon Rules & Guidelines

All times are West Africa Time (WAT). Dates are tentative and may adjust; watch Discord or visit the Contact page for updates.

1. Eligibility

  • Who can join? University students in Nigeria (16+).
  • Exclusions: Organising volunteers, paid mentors, and judges may not compete.

2. Team Formation

Size2 – 4 members
Pre‑formed vs Team‑upRegister as a team or find teammates via our #team‑formation channel before hacking starts
One team per personNo cross‑team participation

3. Theme & Challenge Areas

  • Healthcare – maternal care, clinic logistics, mental‑health tools…
  • Sustainability & Safety – clean water, waste reduction, community alerts…
  • Education – low‑resource learning aids, vocational skills platforms…
  • Projects must address at least one area in a Nigerian context.

4. Timeline (WAT)

DateTimeMilestone
Fri 16 May17:00Kick‑off & Keynote (Discord Stage)
Fri 16 May19:00Hacking begins
Sun 18 May16:00Submission deadline
Sun 18 May16:00–19:00Judging window (private)
Sun 18 May20:00Winners announced (Discord Stage)

All times tentative; subject to change.

5. Required Submission Package

Git repoPublic/private link with commit history during event
Demo video≤ 5 min (see rules)
Slide deckPDF or Google Slides (max 10 slides)
Devpost form4 text fields: Problem, Solution, Tech stack, Impact

6. Demo Video Rules

  • ≤ 5 : 00 (videos > 5 : 00 = 0 pts for Presentation)
  • Must follow order: Problem → Solution → one‑take live demo → Tech → Impact/ask
  • English or Pidgin narration; captions encouraged
  • File name: teamname_hackathon2025.mp4 or same slug on YouTube/Vimeo
  • One‑take demo rule: main user journey recorded continuously

7. Judging Criteria & Weights (public)

Impact & Theme Alignment25 pts
Innovation & Technical Execution (includes teamwork)30 pts
User Experience & Design15 pts
Feasibility & Sustainability15 pts
Presentation & Storytelling15 pts

Internal sub‑criteria and detailed scoring rubric released post‑event.

8. Prizes

RankCashExtras
🥇 1st₦1,500,000National media feature + detailed feedback report
🥈 2nd₦750,000Newspaper publication + detailed feedback
🥉 3rd₦500,000Newspaper publication + detailed feedback

Prizes paid via Wise within 10 business days; at least one team‑member must provide a valid Nigerian bank account.

9. Code of Conduct (short form)

  • Be respectful; zero tolerance for harassment
  • Stick to project scope; no disallowed content (hate, adult, malware)
  • Follow Discord etiquette: thread replies, mute if noisy
  • Violation → warning or immediate disqualification at organiser’s discretion

10. Intellectual Property

  • You own your code
  • By submitting you grant the organiser a non‑exclusive right to showcase your project
  • Third‑party libraries must respect their licences

11. Disqualification Triggers

  • Late submission (> 5‑min grace)
  • Plagiarised code or “pre‑built” product
  • Incomplete mandatory items (no video, no repo)
  • Breach of CoC or eligibility

12. Appeals

  • Teams may request a score breakdown within 72 hours of results
  • Appeals committee (lead organiser + 1 judge) will review; decisions final

13. Support & Questions

  • Discord #help‑desk: live moderators throughout hacking
  • Email: see Contact page
  • Instagram DMs are not monitored for support